I-5 reopens after semi-crash closes SB lanes

CHEHALIS, Wash. -- A crash involving a semi-truck and two vehicles closed all lanes of southbound Interstate 5 at milepost 79 in Chehalis for several hours Thursday morning.

WSDOT said the driver of the semi suffered injuries and was airlifted to a hospital. Trooper Will Finn later tweeted the driver suffered non-life threatening injuries: a broken arm, fingers and face lacerations.

At one point there was a five-mile backup in the southbound lanes. A detour was set up at Chamber Way.

The impact of the crash also scattered debris into oncoming northbound lanes of I-5, but traffic in the northbound lanes was not affected.